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Like snapshots from a family photo album, I see images of
past Christmas memories that come to me in full color and
great detail. These memories are recalled instantly and
vividly as though I were viewing them from the open pages of
treasured photographs.
My earliest memories are those of love and pure delight.
The smells of a reshly cut pine tree and the wonderful aroma
of specially baked goodies, fruits, and candy from the
dining room still overwhelm me. It is the sensory overload
and the feelings of joy, love, and contentment that I
remember most.
On Christmas morning, I can remember peeking down from the
top of the staircase at the colorful, sparkling tree;
however, even as small children, my sisters and I understood
that my parents, who had the daily task of milking and
feeding cows, would want to share in the special
gift-opening moment, so we never went down to the tree until
they had finished their chores and returned to the house.
The joy of singing Christmas carols together and of reading
stories about the Christ child brought the meaning of this
special season to my awareness at a very young age. My
older sisters and I would sing sweetly together as though
all of heaven and earth were listening.
Sometimes, I sang by myself to the animals. While the cows,
calves, cats, and dogs found shelter and rest in the barn,
my childhood innocence would reason that by singing
Christmas carols to them, the animals could also celebrate
the joy of the season.
When the special moment arrived, my older sisters and I knew
that we would receive a gift from Santa, and that we would
also be able to open a gift from our Aunt Winnie who never
failed in sharing precious treasures with us. In fact, her
gifts would oftentimes be sent several weeks ahead of
schedule and I would carry the unwrapped, unopened surprise
with me each day, wondering what treasure resided inside its
mysterious packaging.
When the time to open the packages arrived, my parents
always beamed with joyful faces. Regardless of the gifts we
received, the love and warmth that we felt at those times
from our parents and each other was by far the most valuable
gift. This, along with an unwavering trust that God had His
protective hand over our family, magnified the feeling of
love and security that we shared.
Do our memories make a difference? Of course, they do. The
snapshots of a child's Christmas memories reflect the
awesome wonder of beauty that is forever stored in the heart
and mind of the adult-child. These special snapshots of
love replay over and over again like classic movies of the
season, helping to perpetuate the tradition of love and
giving with our own children. No doubt, the
snapshot-memories will continue with future generations and
though the tradition and technology of the moment will most
certainly change; hopefully, the feelings of love, warmth,
and memories of the Christ child will always be the major
theme.
Donna M. Samuels
Samuels @ bullitt.net
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Donna M. Samuels is a former teacher
and is a resident of Kentucky. She is married to Wm.
Preston Samuels and has two teenage sons -- Jason and
Joshua.
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Little Gifts
For all his life, my nephew (and his Mom and Dad) lived
halfway across the country. Wanting to share in their
Christmas in a warm, personal way, I started my "Little
Gift" tradition. I shopped all through the year --- meaning
Ibought things when I saw them. They had to be useful or fun
or intriguing --- and had to cost about $1.00.
Glenn, my sister and brother-in-law each received five
little gifts in addition to their regular Christmas gift.
Attached to the little gifts were handmade tags that said
"Open 5 Days Before Christmas", "Open 4 Days Before
Christmas", counting down to One Day Before Christmas. Oh,
what fun they had with them! Had? I mean "have" for they are
still receiving them, and now we have added Glenn's wife and
their four children!!!!!
Some years they opened the Little Gifts at breakfast,
sometimes it was after dinner or before bedtime. What
started as a gesture to let them know that Aunt Jeanna is
thinking of them has become a Christmas family tradition.
(c) 2003 Jean Ann Phinney
JAMP72436 @ aol.com.
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